The Life of an Abomination
by Aenaris
Summary: When the war leaves Cho scarred and beaten, can she move past it and still live her life? Warnings inside.
1. The Creation of an Abomination

**A/N: **This is for _Dear. Dark. Destiny_'s "3rd Annual Can You Write a Romance?" competition. My characters were Cho Chang and Crabbe (which I interpreted as Crabbe Sr.) and I had to use the work _abomination_ three times.

**Warnings:** There are dark themes, violence, torture, killing, cross-gen relationship and slight sexual mentions in this story. Please do not read it if any of those make you uncomfortable.

* * *

**_xXx Chapter One xXx_**

_xXx The Creation of an Abomination xXx_

Staring at the wand pointed in her face, Cho crumpled. With Harry Potter dead, she couldn't see a positive end to this war, not for her anyway; she had been on the losing side, that meant she was now nothing but a piece of trash to be discarded. Logically, she should continue to fight to the end and take out as much Death Eater scum as possible, but faced with her own mortality and no hope left, she just dropped to her knees, allowing her wand to hit the ground with a clatter and roll away. She stared at that wand pointed in her face, praying that if she was quiet maybe, just maybe, she could live. To her relief, the color she saw before blacking out and remembering nothing more was red.

When she came to, Cho found herself strapped down to a table, every inch of her body held securely to the hard surface so she had no wiggle room. She had a very limited view of a stone ceiling and walls, although everything to the sides was layered in shadow. Her entire body tensed and her stomach felt sick, the feeling doubling when her skin prickled and she realized she was naked. In the face of the inability to do something more constructive to her situation, she did the only logical thing she could think of; she screamed. The sounded echoed harshly, sounding flat and despairing.

"Oh wook, the widdle girl is awake and she's sca-a-a-ared..." The taunting voice reached her ears as the woman walked into the room from a door that was out of her view. "The Dark Lord said that I get to play with you, and we might let you live if you sing pretty for us."

Before Cho could ask what the woman met, she gasped in surprise as a knife flashed against her skin, the shock keeping her oblivious for several heartbeats before the pain set in and she whimpered. There was a scrape of metal on metal, and after a moment something hot was pressed against the newly made wound, the pain coming instantly this time and forcing a shriek from her throat. Some oddly rational point of her brain that wasn't obsessed with the pain at that moment told her that the burning was to cauterize the wound so she didn't bleed out before they finished with her, and she felt cold at the idea that this was going to take a long time.

As she saw the glint of the knife from the corner of her eye, Cho began to babble. Anything in the slightest she thought would help her survive, she told to the Death Eater, having no idea what the woman was looking for, but desperate to stop the pain. Still, the knife slide across her time and time again, and she could feel the blood trickling across her body that had leaked out of the wounds before they had been cauterized. Any time she started to get faint from the pain and her words trailed off, she was hit with _Crucios_, making her screams echo once more.

Once her entire life story, her entire mind's knowledge, had spilled from her lips in gasps and sobs, Cho was greeted with blessed stillness. No more demands, no more cackles, no new pain, although her entire body ached all over. Her bindings were released, and she was yanked off the table and onto the slick floor before her sadistic torturer left the room. She dragged her injured body into a corner where she sobbed.

All too soon, the door opened as the bitch returned. Cho was yanked up by her hair and forced to stand on legs that could barely support her weight while a potion was forced down her throat. Her first thought was that it was poison, but she drank it gladly, eager to be removed from the pain that lingered in her mind. Instead, meager amounts of strength returned to her, and she was forced to walk out of the room, still naked and leaving occasional droplets of blood in her wake.

Upon entrance into the room her capture was guiding her to, Cho whimpered and threw up a hand to shield her eyes from the light. Once they had adjusted, she saw that she wasn't in a room at all, but rather in a courtyard with the sunlight streaming down. Just when she thought she would die in that darkly lit room, she was blessed with a vision of the sun, and she mentally rejoiced.

At least, she rejoiced until she noticed the additional people in the courtyard. Half a dozen dirty, ragged people held by chains to a wall, and the one free person, the Dark Lord himself. She didn't know if she should feel honored that the leader himself was taking time out of his day to kill her, or if she should just piss herself. She was inclined to do the latter, if it weren't for the fact that her bladder was still empty from when she had accidentally voided it earlier from the pain. At least she would die with the warmth of the sun to combat the chill of her despair.

Cho's mind ached, it burned, and she briefly realized that the Dark Lord must have entered her mind, and she couldn't help but bitterly wish that they had just done this before rather than put her through all that pain to learn the exact same knowledge. Voldemort must have picked up on that thought because he chuckled, a cold, harsh laugh, and gestured to Bellatrix behind her. She found her wand in the palm of her hand as her fingers were forcibly closed around the handle. She was then shoved forward, nearly falling on her face as she tried to make her legs catch herself while Bellatrix moved to stand on couple steps to the side, next to her master.

"You wish to live, do you not?" That high, cold voice asked her, and she shivered even with the warmth of the sun. She lowered her eyes to the ground, unwilling to see the red ones that cut into her mind, examining every thought. "You surrendered, so you must have been looking to live. I shall be merciful. Show your hatred for Muggles, kill one of these worthless scum before you, and I will allow you to be released."

Although she was now armed, Cho didn't even think about attacking either of the two magicals standing near her. Perhaps a Gryffindor would have attacked, fought to the death, but Cho didn't have that streak of recklessness. Now that the path to her own salvation was clear, she desperately wanted it, wanted to live the remainder of her life, even if it was in this hellhole that the world was turning into. She raised her wand on the closest Muggle, trying to will herself into saying the words, to kill this person who was slated for death anyway in order to save her own life. Her wand trembled and she lost the ability to keep her arm raised.

Cho shifted her gaze away from the wizard that was still watching her intently, and her gaze fell up on a Muggle slightly down a line. With a jolt, she thought it was Harry Potter before realizing the eyes were blue and the forehead free of scars. Angry rose in her at the idea that it was Harry Potter's fault that she had been tortured, Harry Potter's fault that she was in this predicament, and ignoring the errors in the Muggle's face, swung her wand up and uttered the two words needed to save her life. _"Avada Kedavra."_

The young man jerked harshly as the spell impacted, and the body slumped to the ground with a clatter of chains. Cho wasn't done, watching as the second Killing Curse impacted his body, followed by the third. When the fourth failed to give her any satisfaction, she crossed the few steps between her and her captors, snatched the knife stained with her blood from Bellatrix's hand and half-stumbled, half-ran to the body, slamming the knife into the corpse's torso over, and over, and over again. "This is your fault! If you didn't die, we wouldn't have lost! You failed us! You failed!" Her screams echoed around the courtyard, intermingling with Voldemort's harsh laugh.

When she finally stopped, Cho stared in horror at the blood staining her hands, oblivious to anything else around her in the wake of the atrocity she had just committed.

* * *

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any of these characters, I'm just borrowing them for a little fun.


	2. Accepting an Abomination

**_xXx Chapter Two xXx_**

_xXx Accepting an Abomination xXx_

Cho gave herself the mandatory glance in the mirror as she pulled her hair back into its ponytail in order to make sure she hadn't missed any strands of hair, trying hard not to let her eyes linger on her image in the glass. Normally she preferred her hair down to help hide the scars, but having the strands in her face made work more difficult. Lord Voldemort may have ordered her to be healed as a reward for her decision, but much of the damage had already been made permanent, a badge for her to carry around showing that she had been on the wrong side of the war.

At least she had her freedom. Any female blood traitors who had refused to submit like requested had been enslaved and were merely used as breeding stock to help continue the various pure-blooded lines who were dwindling. Any half-bloods or Muggleborns who were deemed not to be a threat were magically castrated and handed out as servants to the loyal, for those who preferred human interaction over house-elf. She, at least, had a low level secretary job that the Ministry and could come and go as she pleased, even if she was treated rather poorly by many people.

A sharp rap sounded on the door, and Cho froze for a minute. She had no friends to speak of, even Marietta Edgecombe had shunned her after the battle, her previous best friend having been given leeway from the torture as she was rewarded for her snitching in their sixth year. After she had made the effort to defend Marietta to Harry after the betrayal, for the woman to dump her, well, it was with a perverse pleasure that she noted that faint purple spots that still graced the brunette's face. Hermione Granger had done her job well.

The knock sounded again, and Cho was pulled from her musing by the sound. She tensed, half expecting the door to be busted down as someone forced their entry. Given that she had no friends and her neighbors ignored her existence, the only people who could be coming to call on her would have to be the Aurors - a group of former Death Eaters usually known more for their brawn than their brains, who came to pay visit whenever someone was outspoken against the Dark Lord, usually resulting in that person disappearing, never to be heard from or seen again.

Cho tentatively approached the door, jumping as there was a third pounding. She couldn't recall having done anything that could be construed as working against the Dark Lord, but sometimes it didn't seem to matter, and people were taken on a whim, likely to keep everyone else on their toes and fearful of causing a rebellion. Taking a deep breath, she pulled open the door, the air freezing in her lungs as she recognized one of the senior members of the Aurors squad. She was dead. All that pain and suffering she had survived for the sake of living, and she scarcely had survived another year. What a waste.

Then Cho noticed the slightly wilted flowers that were being offered to her. Aurors weren't delivery men, at least not typically, so what was he doing here? There was no way someone in a position of authority over the Aurors had taken an interest in her, the idea was just absurd. "May I help you?" She worked hard to keep her voice even and her tone light, and she was fairly certain she had done a successful job. If he wasn't here to haul her off to death, she didn't want to antagonize him into changing his mind.

"I bought these for you," the man explained, holding them slightly further out in an effort to get her to take them.

Cho searched her memory for the name of the man. What was it? He'd had a son at Hogwarts the year below her, some big brute in Slytherin that had hung out with Malfoy... oh yes, she was fairly certain he was Crabbe. She'd never studied the family histories enough to learn his first name, but having a surname at least told her whom she was dealing with. "Oh, I'm sorry, this must be a mistake. I'm the only one who lives here."

The large man, _Crabbe_ she reminded herself, shook his head. "No mistake. This is a present for you from me. I have the right person, Miss Chang."

Cho backed up in confusion. This couldn't be right, who would bring someone like her a token of affection, especially someone who had some level of status, compared to her bottom of the barrel status. She shook her head at him. "I'm sorry, I can't take them." She backed up fearfully, afraid of his potential wrath and retaliation, and he lowered his arm, taking a step back away from her door. Once she was certain that was all the reaction she was getting, she shut the door hard, and slide down the wall to collapse into a shaking heap.

She didn't know how long she sat there, trying to still her body's tremors, but the clock chiming in the other room reminded Cho that she had to get to work. She forced herself to stand, moved around the flat grabbing the items she'd need to the day, and headed for the front door. Opening it, she was relieved to find that the hallways were once again empty, and she took her first step out, pausing when she heard a rustling crunch. Looking down, she saw that she had stepped on the flowers Crabbe had left on her doormat.

O-o-O-o-O

As Cho got ready for her day, she diligently ignored the flowers that had been delivered the day before. Leaving them on the doormat would have raised questions, so she had brought them into the house. Unwilling to display them, but feeling like it would be terribly rude to just bin them, she had tossed the whole bouquet onto her tiny kitchen table. They had responded to her lack of care by wilting further due to absence of water, but she still couldn't bring herself to do anything with them.

Once more, a pounding on the door bought Cho out of her daily routine. She cursed herself inwardly, knowing that her rudeness previous would come back to trouble her. She had just slammed the door in the face of one of the higher level Aurors; of course he had gone back to report how her loyalty had wavered to the Dark Lord and that she needed to be brought in for questioning. She walked to the front hallway and waited there patiently, not wanting to be near the door when it was busted in.

The second set of thuds convinced Cho that she might be wrong, and she tentatively approached the door. When it didn't come flying inward to hit her, she grasped the doorknob and turned, pulling the door open herself. There, same as yesterday, stood an Auror in the hallway, watching her intently.

This time, however, Crabbe was holding out a box, rather than the bunch of flowers. Stepping closer to get a better view, Cho was able to recognize it as a box of chocolates. She stepped back, shaking her head. "I don't understand."

"It is a gift. For you." He explained gruffly.

"I - I can't." He frowned at her refusal, lowering his arm so the box was at his side, and they stared at each other, him with narrowed, confused eyes and her with wide, panicked eyes. Unable to take the constant scrutiny, Cho fled to the security of her bedroom, not even bothering to close the door.

When it came too close to time to leave for work, Cho tentatively crept out of her room, peeking around every corner to make sure her flat was empty. When she figured out that she was the only one present, she headed to her front door, noting that it was now closed. She pulled it open to find that he had once more left the present on her welcome mat.

O-o-O-o-O

There was silence for several mornings, and Cho began to think that she had impressed upon him her lack of interest. That thought was broken when there once more was a knock on the door with a an offering of flowers again. This pattern continued on and off for a couple weeks when Crabbe switched things up by offering a small, rectangular box, rather than the usual bouquets or sweets.

Cho was hesitant to take it, certain she wouldn't like what it contained, and tentatively cracked it open. She gasped at the sight of the simple silver charm bracket. Granted, it wasn't something that would have been highly expensive, but he must have done his research on her, given that the charms seemed specific to her. There was an eagle, the chinese symbol for 'order', a book, a snitch and a swan. All basic stuff that could easier be found out about her, but the fact that someone took the time to do it almost made her cry. "Why are you doing this? Don't you have someone else you can chase?" She asked with a hitch in her voice. It was, perhaps, a dangerous thing to say, given that he had the authority to imprison her to do his bidding, but she wanted this charade of courting to stop.

"Yes, but they're not as interesting as you." He replied with a shrug of the shoulders.

"Wh-what?" She stammered, clearly not expecting that response from him. "How am I interesting? I already know that I'm a last resort as a female, you don't have to pretend I'm of any importance."

Crabbe frowned at her, apparently uncertain what to make of her outburst, before he began replying. "I am looking for a woman to provide me with an heir, true, but if that was all I was looking for, I could easily get my hands on a blood-traitor breeding slave. Rather, I would like to also find myself a companion. I am not as wealthy as some of the other families, nor am I interested in spending unnecessary time and money on frivolous luxuries, so I need someone who is willing to live meagerly and take care of things herself, given that my sole house-elf is getting fairly old. I need a woman who is hardworking, intelligent, and willing to take a firm hand in raising a child with the same traits. I would like her to be able to maintain a good conversation without being argumentative, sassy or condescending.

"You have these traits. Your salary, while not extravagant, is more than enough to provide additional luxuries that I have get to see reflected in your home or daily attire. Your work space and what I've seen of your home from this doorway are always neat and organized, proving you take care and clean up after yourself. Your work is always complete and detailed, and I believe that would be similar in your home life. As a Ravenclaw, you are likely intelligent, but I've not heard you talk down to other people or fight your superiors, so I believe I may be able to enjoy speaking with you.

"So, while there are other people I could see, I'd rather try courting you and hope you respond to my advances. An unhappy wife makes for an unpleasant home, so I'm not interested in forcing you. If this is your refusal, state such, and I will not return."

Cho opened her mouth to reply, but then shut it as she looked down at the bracelet she was holding. She had been tempted to tell him to go away, because she wasn't interested in him, but his words made her think. He had told her some nonsense like she was beautiful, she would have sent him away easily, but it seemed as though he was actually playing attention to the person she was, for his analysis of her was correct. Why didn't she want anything to do with him? Her mind supplied the answer easily: he was an abomination. He murdered people regularly, participating in some of the darkest magics, all from a desire to please some Dark Lord.

Cho's drifted from the box to the back of her arm where the scar were still easily visible from that night. _Her voice, hoarse from screaming, shouted curses and insults as her hands lowered time and time again, feeling the blood ooze out onto her hand and splash up onto her bare skin._ She pulled herself out of the memory. Granted, he may have done the act more times than her, but she had murdered an innocent person in cold blood, the same as him. Wouldn't that make her just as much of an abomination as he? Where did she get this idea that she was somehow morally superior than him?

Here was a person who was willing to look past her 'blood traitor' status and try to get to know her as a person, and Cho wasn't willing to look past his 'Death Eater' status to know him? He had been nothing but nice to her, and here was her one chance at happiness with someone who truly appreciated her. If she passed this up, then she really did deserve to be alone and miserable for her life.

Cho raised her head to meet his eyes, and her lips moved, but no sound came out. He narrowed his eyes slightly, as though trying to read words on her lips, and she swallowed hard before trying again. "Yes. I would like to go out with you."

Crabbe's eyes widened. "Great! How does Friday at seven sound?"

Cho nodded her head. "Th-that'll work."

"I will pick you up then." He stepped forward and gently grasping her free hand, pulled it toward him so he could kiss the back of her hand. "Until then, my lady, be well." With that farewell, he turned and strode off down the hall, leaving the stunned young woman behind him.


	3. Loving an Abomination

**_xXx Chapter Three xXx_**

_xXx Loving an Abomination xXx_

Cho groaned in pain. She hadn't thought there was anything that could be worse than her torture at Bellatrix's hands, but she was quickly coming to regret that thought. While back then she had ached all over, every nerve on her body tingling, this was pain made her feel like she was being split in half, and she was debating just how much more of this she could stand. She cast her mind into better memories to distract herself from the pain.

xXx

_Sitting at dinner was a slightly awkward affair. Cho wasn't sure exactly what to say to initiate a conversation, so she remained quiet, appreciating the good tasting food since her own cooking. wasn't this luxurious. _

_"Have you participated in any of the Muggle hunting?"_

_Cho choked on her food slightly before swallowing hard and looking at the man eating across from her, waiting for her response. "Uh, no, not really. I tried at one point, but it uh, reminded me too much of the past," she commented, rubbing on of the scars on the back of her arm nervously. This was it, the inquisition was here and she was going to fail the test, going to be hauled off and tortured again._

_"I understand," he replied, resuming his meal. Cho tensed for his next words, awaiting her fate, but he continued eating as though nothing of great importance had occurred._

_Then, she realized, nothing had, and she let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. She was sitting here, tense for no reason, because he was merely trying to make small talk and find common interests, something anyone would be doing on a first date. She was tempted to laugh, but thought he might take it wrong and so remained silent. "I uh, normally read on my freetime. Ravenclaw and all. There was actually an article I found interesting the other day on..." and she launched into a detailed analysis of the article and its findings while he nodded his head at her words. Partway through, Cho noted he hadn't made any comments and stemmed the steam of words slipping from her lips. "You don't know what I'm talking about, do you?" She asked regretfully. _

_"Afraid not," he admitted, "but I am quite enjoying listening to your voice and seeing you smile. I like the idea of you being happy."_

_Cho pushed the food around her plate for a moment as she contemplated the situation. Then she looked up at him. "Maybe I could explain it to you?"_

_He gave her a wide grin. "Please do."_

_This time, when she launched back into her speech, she broke up the pieces, explaining how they related to an audience who hadn't been following the magazine for years, and her strings of speech were interjected with questions from him, which she patiently answered. From there, the conversation moved onto topics they were both familiar with, notably being the current Quidditch standings and stories of their childhoods at Hogwarts. So caught up in the flow of the words, Cho was surprised when the meal came to an end. _

_After he paid the bill, Crabbe took her arm and escorted her out of the restaurant, although he preceded to walk down the road with her, rather than Apparate directly to her flat like she had been expecting. They walked in a surprisingly pleasant silence, Cho enjoying the companionship enough that she didn't feel like babbling. _

_Once he had escorted her to her door turned to her. "Would you like to do this again?"_

_Cho smiled shyly at him. "I would, thank you."_

_He nodded his head at her. "I'll send you an owl to check the next time. Until then," he reached over and picked up her hand, bringing it to his lips,"take care, my dear."_

_Cho's smile grew a bit wider, and she fumbled with the keys slightly, but managed to get the door to her flat open and step through, turning to study him for a a moment longer. He gestured for her to shut the door, likely making sure of her safety before he left and she did as he requested, leaning against the door when it was closed. _

_Cho felt like an immature schoolgirl again, getting all giddy over a boy - no, this was a man, paying her a bit of attention. Yet, she couldn't seem to fault herself for it. After the rise of the Dark Lord, she had been ignored by everyone unless they wanted to pay her a bit of abuse. Crabbe's treatment of her was a welcome change in the darkness of daily life._

xXx

The pain lanced through her again, and she hissed as she was distracted from the memory of their first date. She clenched her hands tightly, releasing them when the worst of the pain was past her. Not wanting to think about the fact that the night was going to get worse before it got between, she switched her attention to the memory of her favorite date.

xXx

_They had fallen into a pleasant routine, every week eating their evening meal, followed by a pleasant walk in the fresh air while they discussed whatever topic came to mind: Quidditch, the government, their daily lives, the latest Muggle hunt. They were becoming increasingly intuitive to each other, knowing when one didn't desire conversation and being content to allow the comfortable silence to around them. _

_Such as it was today, when their walk was interrupted by a man stepping into their path. Cho tensed as she recognized him, a mid-level Ministry worker who took great pride in harassing her for being a scarred blood traitor. He gave her a mocking grin. "I'm surprised you dared show your ugly face in public." He turned to her companion. "You might want to stay away from her, she's as filthy as they come. An abomination to our perfect world."_

_Cho took a step closer to Hayworth, and felt him step slightly in front of her, as though shielding her from the nasty words. "I am enjoying her company, but I can't say the same for you."_

_Cho saw the man - she had never learned his name - narrow his eyes. "Do you see her scars? That means she was a traitor to our Lord. You would enjoy her company?"_

_Hayworth stepped to the side and picked up her arm, turning it so her scars could clearly be seen. "You see her scars? The fact that she has them and is still free to walk around in public means she has proven her loyalty to the Dark Lord."_

_The man laughed. "The _lack_ of scars proves that my loyalty to the Dark Lord has never been questioned."_

_"My loyalty has never been questioned, but I still have the scar to prove me worthy," Hayworth argued, pulling up his sleeve so that the other man could see the Dark Mark burned into the flesh of his left arm. "_Immobulus._"_

_Based on the surprise on his face, Cho guessed he hadn't seen Hayworth pull out his wand on the last verbal exchange. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?"_

_Cho remained forgotten about as she watched Hayworth summon the wand out of the other man's robes, but she much preferred to be out of the conflict, so she gladly remained silent. "I'm sure that your bad attitude towards the lady behind me is due to the fact that you're jealous that she has a badge proving she withstood great pain to prove herself loyal to the Dark Lord, and you have nothing of the same. So I'm going to do you a favor, and have to shipped off for interrogation, that way you can have the same mark of honour." Before the man could protest, Hayworth pulled the Portkey out of his robe, stuck it on the man and activated it._

_Now that they were alone once more, Hayworth turned back to Cho. "Unfortunately, he'll probably be released back into society, since he really isn't disloyal to our Lord, but that won't be determined until after the interrogation, so hopefully that will give him a couple scars, and the intelligence to keep his mouth shut once in a while." He offered his arm to her, and she took it as the resumed their walk._

_The silence lingered as Cho thought about what happened, and it clicked in her mind that he had done it only because that man had insulted her, rather than any real indication of rebellion. The thought disturbed her slightly, but more than anything, made her feel warm inside. It was nice to have someone who cared about her._

xXx

"You're doing very well. It's almost over," the man told her as he took her position between her legs. Cho wanted to scoff at him for making it sound so easy. He wasn't the one sitting on the bed grunting and groaning in pain, so she ignored him.

xXx

_Their weekly date had gone as usual, but when they went on their walk, Hayworth led Cho down a different path then they normally took. By this time, she had come to trust him, so she said nothing, merely admiring the different scenery. Their walk dead-ended in a park, and that was when he let go of her arm. She looked around curiously for a moment before the change was made clear by Hayworth kneeling before her. He offered her a small gold ring as he spoke. "Will you marry me?"_

_Cho's eyes widened in alarm. She hadn't expected a proposal. Actually, she had expected a proposal, given that the first time he asked her out he'd made it clear he was looking for a wife, but she hadn't been expecting a proposal at this point. It was just an event she repeatedly pushed to the back of her mind, in denial that it would happen. After all, she couldn't marry him, could she? She didn't love him, and wasn't that what marriage was based on? _

_Cho shifted her wait uncomfortably, while Hayworth remained patiently as he was, apparently giving her the time she needed to think. Call her selfish, but she really didn't want to give up what they had; it was nice having someone treat her like a real human being with feelings and opinions. Without him, she'd just be lonely and miserable. Was that an okay reason to accept a marriage proposal, because she didn't want to be alone?_

_Looking at his eyes, Cho was reminded of something: he'd never said he loved her. True, she hadn't expected him to and wasn't hurt by the idea that he hadn't, but if he'd been upfront in the beginning that he wasn't out for love, then why did she have to be? Nothing had to change, expect for maybe her living arrangements, and perhaps a child. They could be just as happy as they were now without having to add claims of love into the equation._

_Decision made, Cho smiled brightly at him. "Yes!"_

xXx

"Almost done. Just a little more." Hands roughly guided her into another position, and she wanted to smack the man for the discomfort it caused, but was distracted by the pain that shot through her once more. She tried to focus on her breathing, but that seemed to have little effect on forgetting about the pain, so she let her mind wander once more.

xXx

_Cho fidgeted nervously in the side room where she was preparing. They had both agreed with the idea of a simple wedding, just the basic ceremony with the requisite number of witnesses, but now that she knew who the witnesses Hayworth had picked were, she couldn't help but think something was going to go wrong. Grayson Goyle was fine, but she wasn't sure about Martha Gayle's presence. Perhaps she might object to the wedding, given that her deceased sister had been Hayworth's first wife. _

_A knock on the door signaled they were ready for her, so Cho left the small room she was preparing in and headed down the walkway to the front of the room, past their two witnesses to stand beside the man she was taking for her husband, in front of the ministry official. _

_The man looked between the two members of the couple, and when Hayworth gave him the nod, began the ceremony. "We are gathered today to join Mr. Hayworth Crabbe and Miss Cho Chang as man and wife. The blood of each has been proven pure. Be there any objections?" Cho waited with her breath held as the required number of seconds ticked by in blessed silence. "Very well. Do you, Hayworth Crabbe, take this woman as your wife, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to remain together for all the days of your life?"_

_Hayworth nodded his head before uttering those two little words. "I do."_

_"Very well." The ministry official turned his attention to her. "Do you, Cho Chang, take this man as your husband, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to remain together for all the days of your life?"_

_Cho licked her lips nervously. There was no going back after this. Good thing she didn't have the desire to anyway. "I do."_

_"Very well. By the power vested in me by the Ministry of Magic, I now declare you husband and wife."_

_Hayworth turned her to face their two witnesses, a smile on his face as they both came over to congratulate the newly married couple. _

_"Thank you, Mrs. Goyle," Cho said shyly to the older woman she'd been nervous about. _

_"Oh, please, call me Martha. We're practically family," she countered as she pulled Cho into a hug. While they were still close, Martha whispered, "You will take care of him, won't you?"_

_Cho nodded her head as they pulled away, and Martha beamed at her._

xXx

Cho gave a long, harsh groan, reminding herself how close she was to being done and the reward she would be getting, but somehow it still wasn't enough the keep the pain from her mind.

xXx

_For all her nervousness hours earlier at the simple ceremony, it was nothing compared to the tension Cho felt now. While she enjoyed their time together, she hadn't previously really let her mind wander onto how this night would be. Part of her was concerned that her attention might wander into her memories and her time with Cedric in the years past, and she really believed that Hayworth deserved better than that. _

_The tension hadn't gone away when Hayworth came into the room, but when his hands began moving roughly over her body with an experience that was the distinct opposite of Cedric's shy, tentative hands, she forgot all about the past and lost herself in the moment._

xXx

With a cry, Cho fell limply backwards.

Until a separate cry made her open her eyes to seek out the child she had just struggled to bring into the world. She spotted it in a Healer's arms, Hayworth using his wand to cut the umbilical cord. He turned away from the child, coming over to stand next to her and placing a the comforting hand onto her shoulder while a Healer went to clean the baby. "It's a boy." He told her.

"I'm glad." Cho replied, knowing Hayworth had wanted a son to inherit from him. They stayed like that for several minutes, watching as the Healers worked on the side of the room to clean up the child's appearance so he was appropriate to greet. Finally, they brought the wrapped bundle over to her and placed the child gently in her arms. She couldn't say he was cute, not with his face still red, and the mix of her Asian features and Haywroth's rough, broad features, but it was their child, and that was all that mattered.

Hayworth leaned over, running a hand gently along the boy's scarce downy hair, before smiling at Cho. "You did well. I love you."

"I love you too," Cho replied immediately, and she wasn't even surprised to realize that she meant it.


End file.
